Railway hopper car



Oct. 5,l 1937.

W. F. DIETRICHSON RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Original Filed June 19, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l Och 5, 1937- w. F. DIETRlcHsoN 2,094,979

RAILWAY HOPPER CAR 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 19 Oct. 5, 1937. w. F. DIETRICHSON RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Original Filed June 19, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 KU mm Patented Oct. 5, 1937 l UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE .RAILWAY HOPPER CAR,

Original application June 19, 1933, Serial No.

676,465. Divided and this application September 20, 1934, 'Serial No. 7442782 l8 Claims.

This invention 4-relates generally to railway hopper cars adapted particularly for transportation of cement or other ne or granular materials and is a division 4of my application filed June 19, 1933, Serial No. 676,465, for Railway hopper car.

One object'of this invention is the provision of means for closing the hoppers against discharge of lading therethrough.

Another `object of this invention is the provi sion of new 1and. improved means for operating hopper doors to and Afrom closed position.

A further object of this invention is the vprovision of a railway car having hoppers, the-discharge -outlet portions of which are closed by doors slidable longitudinally with respect to the car Ibody; the invention also Aincluding an actuating means for the doors so arranged as to be operative from adjacent the side wall of the car.

@ther objects and advantages of this vinvention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l isa side elevation of a portion of a railway car, certain `parts being shown in section, the view also Lshowing the new and improved hopper outline arrangement of the actuating .means ffor the door.

Fig. 2'is .a iront view of a pair of hoppers of 'the form shown iin Fig. 1, one of 'the hoppers be'ing shown'in section.

Fig. Sis 'an'enl'arge'dfragmentary view, partly in section, showing the operating means `for the v'screw shaft shown in Figs. .1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional -view of `a part of the construction shown 4in Fig. 1, said View including a portion of the hopper -with its door'supporting frame andfurther show- .ing apart of the actuating shaft, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan `View of the lconstruction shown in Fig. 4. l

YReferring now more particularly tothe drawings, Fig. Ylshows a portion of a Vhopper car which is .more or less conventional `and comprises a center sill indicated at 2 which, as lshown more clearly in Fig. 2, is formed o'f a pair of channels `4 to the webs of which are secured the depending inside Asheets `A5 of Yspaced 'hoppers 8. The remainder of the sheets of the h oppers slopeinwardly and downwardly to the mouth or lower end of the hopper as clearly shown in the drawings.

The present invention is :directed .primarily to thedoor arrangement for `'closing the llower .ends :.'ofthe hoppers and, as can .be clearly .seen in,

Vwill be -apparent hereinafter.

the drawings,l secured to the lowerend of the hopper is a frame indicated in the drawings Vgenerally at F, said frame being adapted tosupport the hopper `door D andfalso serving to .reinforce the walls of the hopper as will be apparent. `5'

The frame F is preferably though not necessarily -a'casting and, as shown clearly `in the drawings, generally conforms 'to the Vcontour of the hop-per Vat the lower end portion thereof. I'he frame is suitably .connected Avto .the hopper110 as by "being welded or rivetedand the rear .end wall ill!) thereof 'and the side walls l2 are pro-V vided with 'horizontally `extending flanges I4 .which Aserve1as .attaching elements for door'J-supporting plates I6. The door supporting plates 15 !B,.as clearly shown in Fig. 2, cooperate with .odset portions i8 of the vframe Ftofform Vguideways 'for the door VD which are arranged longitudinally of the car. Supported by the plates l'are wear `plates 20 fon'w'hich the door D rides during fits movements to .and from closed position. Se-

cured within the frame F is a sealing member `in the form of'aflexible gasket v122 which is :adapted `to cooperate with the'doorrD to seal the vhopper against discharge tof .lading when the door is lin closed position. The :front wall oftthe frame F vis-shown at 24 and, at the rfrontiwall, therdoor .D is supportedby a tie .26 formed as an integral part of `the frame fand provided with an upstanding rsupporting shelf 28; -the tie 26 being() -spaced from the remainder iof the frame to providea slot 30 through which Ythe door 'D is shiftgable.

lThe door D comprises a metal Vplate'32 -of a `length sufficient to extend beyond `the Vrhofpper frame F when the door is .in closed position whereby to provide a supporting means `34 Vfor the door actuating mechanism. The actuating mechanism for the door `comprises a'screw shaft 36 extending vthrough and threadedly engaged with'a nut -3-8 arranged between .stops 40 secured to the'extending portion l3ll of the door. `IFormed withthe -front portion-or wall 24 of the frame F is `a bearing block 42 into which the reduced `end portion 44 `of the Vscrew vshaft 36 extends, block 42 Yconstituting an Vend thrust member as Attached to the extending portion of the door and retained'thereon by the fastenerswhich secure the innermostl `stop'member AY40 theretoqis a flashing V46 lwhich vengages, overa portion of the 'bearing block A2,

as clearly shown in- Fig.V 1, when `the door isin closed position, whereby to prevent vdrainagerof door is inclined upwardly from the rear to the forward portion of the hopper and the screw shaft 36 is correspondingly inclined upwardly and its outer end is connected with the hub 48 of a beveled gear 50 supported in a bracket 52 carried by a support 54 riveted .as at 56 to the center sill 2. The support 54, inthe instance shown, is an angle having its lower end portion bent to provide an attaching ange 58 to which the bracket 52 is riveted as shown at 60. For stiffening the bracket 52 and for providing a further supporting means therefor, an angle brace 621s riveted to the bracket and tothe angle 5'4, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. p

Enclosing the screw shaft 36` is a channelshaped housing 64 welded at one end portion to the bearing block 42 and having its opposite end portion welded to the bracket 52 as shownk at 66 and to a bearing plate 68 through which ,the screw shaft 36 extends; said bearing plate 68 being'also suitably connected to the bracket 52 and providing a supporting element for the screw shaft v36. It will beV apparent that the housing 64 provides a bracing element between the hopper andthe bracket 52.

The before-mentioned nut 38 is preferably squared andris arranged within the housing 64 thereby being restrainedY against rotation relative to the screw shaft 36. The screwr shaft 36 extends through the bracket 52 into the hub 48 Vofthe beveled gear '50 and is provided with a bearing'collar 10 weldedor otherwise rigidly attached thereto and adapted to bear against ra thrust bearing plate 12 interposed between said collar and the bearing plate 68.

The bracket 52 is also provided with a bearing 14 through which the lower end portion of a drive or operating shaft 16 extends,'said shaft carrying a. beveled gear 18 arranged in meshing Yrelation with the gear 50 and adapted upon rotation to drive the latter to. actuate the screw shaft-,36. i y Y 'I'he doors D'of the hoppers are movable 1ongitudinally'of the car body as will be apparent lranged transverse to the longer dimension Yof the car and extends upwardly at an incline from L the bracket 52 Vand is'provided Vwith a collar 80 adjacent its lower end portion adaptedto bear against the bearing 14. The drive shaft 16 exvtendsV through and is supported by a bracket 82 secured to and depending from a supporting element 84 in the form of an angle attached to and extending between the adjacent hoppers as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. At its upper end por- Serating handle 86.* 1

construction shown in the presentinventionproztion the drive Vshaft 16 is provided with an opvFrom the above description `it is believedthat y fthose skilled in 'the'lart will' recognize thatthe Vvides doors whichiare movable orfshiftable lon- 765 perrdoors shiftable transversely of the car. vThe gitudinallyof the'vcarfbody and thus, when inV fopen position, vdo fnot projectbeyond.` the side Y.

walls ofthe body as may be the caseinV the hop*- screw shaft 36 is arranged substantially longi- Y ftudinally of Vthe ca'r body but the drive shaft 16 fisarranged transverselyof the car body. Invthe lConstruction of the present invention it can readjverticalplane'ofthe side wall of the car.'V

Y' n win alsoV be apparent that upor'rrotation 6fthe drive shaft 16 in one direction the screw '-575 shaft-as is actuated to shift'y the .door ,D ,from

from the drawings but the .drive shaft 16 is arclosed to open position, the end portion 44 of said shaft bearing against the bearing block 42 during this movement. Obviously reversal of direction of movement of drive shaft 16 causes rotation of shaft 36 in the opposite direction and hence a return of the door D to closed position with respect to the hopper.

The drawings herein illustrate one embodiment of the present invention but it is to be un- Y derstood'that they are for illustrative purposes with the door and having bearing engagement against the frame, said screw shaftV being arranged in a direction longitudinally of the car, bracket means supporting thefree end of the screw shaft, a housing covering said screw shaft and interposed between and supported by the bracket and said frame, an'operating shaft arranged in a; direction transverse of the car and' having one end portion'supported by the beforementioned bracket, gearing connectingfthe operating shaftfand screwl shaft and arranged within the bracket, and additional bracket meanssecured to the hopper for supporting the opposite" 'Y end portion of said operating shaft. y Y

2. In a railway hopper car, a sliding doorffor closing the hopper, sealing means in thehopper engaging the door when the latter is in closed position,V a bearing at the YhopperbeneathV and relative to which the door is slidable to and `from closed position, a screw shaft having one end portion rotatably supportedby 'the bearing and its opposite'end portion supported by means supported from a car part, brackets supported by the door and through which the screw shaft extends, a nut nonrotatably mounted on the screw shaft between the brackets and cooperative with thelatter for effecting sliding movement ofthe door during actuation of the screw shaft, and a shield on the door overlapping a Yportion of the bearing when the door is inclosed position.

3. In a railway hopper car, a door for closing the hopper, means at the outlet end of the hopper providing guideways for supporting the doorfor sliding movement longitudinally of the car, said bers and having one Yend portion rotatably Vsupported in said bearing member, means supported. y by a carV part for supporting the opposite end por- Vtion ofthe screwrshaft, a drive shaftY arranged transversely ofthe car and operatively connected fwith the vscrew shaft to rotate the lattera housing covering the screw shaft andextending be-fjm means'rfor'the screw shaft, and-Ha nut on Ythe Vscrew Y.

tween the bearing member and thejsupporting 'v when the door is in Vclosed position toprovide a' j the carfandextending through Vthe bracket memshaft betwen the bracket members and restrained Y against rotation by said housing,saidnut beingY vadapted to contact with said bracket members.

during rotation of the screw shaft to effect sliding movement of the door.

4. In a railway hopper car having an underframe including sill members, and a hopper having its discharge end portion positioned below the sill members, a hopper door arrangement comprising a frame secured to the hopper at its discharge end portion and provided with spaced guideways, a door slidably supported in the guideways, said frame at its forward end portion being formed with a slot through which said door eX- tends and is movable, a rotatable actuating screw shaft, an end thrust member on the frame for supporting one end portion of the shaft, bracket means supported by a car part for supporting the opposite end portion of the shaft, spaced bracket members secured to the door and through which the shaft extends, and means engaged with said shaft and restrained against rotation relative to said shaft, said means being arranged between said bracket members and adapted to Contact therewith during actuation of said shaft to shift said door.

5. In a railway hopper car, a sliding door forV closing the hopper, a door frame secured to the hopper at its discharge end, means on the frame providing guides for the support of the sliding door, a substantially horizontal projection at one side of the frame beneath and relative to which the door is slidable to and from closed position, a bearing above the projection, a screw shaft having one end portion rotatably supported by the bearing and its opposite end portion supported by means carried by a car part, brackets supported by the door and through which the screw shaft extends, a nut non-rotatably mounted on the screw shaft between the brackets and cooperative with the latter for effecting sliding movement of the door during actuation of the screw shaft, and a shield on the door overlapping said projection when the door is in closed position.

6. In a railway hopper car, a sliding door for closing the hopper, a door frame secured to the hopper at its discharge end, means on the frame providing guides for the support of the sliding door, a substantially horizontal projection at one side of the frame beneath and relative to which the door is slidable to and from closed position, means carried by the frame and car for operating said door, and a shield on the door overlapping said projection when the door is in closed position.

7. In a railway hopper car, a sliding door for closing the hopper, sealing means in the hopper engaging the door when the latter is in closed position, a door frame secured to the hopper at its discharge end, means on the frame providing guides for the support of the sliding door, a substantially horizontal projection at one side of the frame beneath and relative to which the door is slidable to and from closed position, means carried by the frame and car for operating said door, and a shield on the door overlapping said projection when the door is in closed position.

8. In a railway hopper car, a sliding door for closing said hopper arranged for movement longitudinally of the car body, a door frame secured to the hopper at its discharge end, said door frame being inclined longitudinally of the car, means on said frame providing guides for the support of the sliding door, a substantially horizontal projection on one side of the frame beneath and relative to which the door is slidable to and from closed position, a bearing above the projection, a screw shaft having one end portion rotatably supported by the bearing and its opposite end portion supported by means carried by a car part, said screw being positioned in alignment with the inclined door frame, and terminating at its outer end above the lower clearance line of the car, brackets supported by the door and through which the screw shaft extends, a nut non-rotatably mounted on the screw shaft between the brackets and cooperative with the latter for effecting sliding movement of theL door during actuation of the screw shaft, a shield on said door overlapping said projection when WILLIAM F. DIETRICHSON. 

